Machine for making stencils



L. ROGERS ET AL MACHINE FOR MAKING STENCILS Jan. 30, 1951 Filed Sept. 10, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet l ASSEMBLY "PLAN VIEW LOUIS ROGERS JOSEPH ETTL INVENTORS ATTORNEY Jan. 30, 1951 L. ROGERS ETAL 2,539,755

MACHINE FOR MAKING STENCILS Filed Sept. 10, 1947 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z3 COATING UNIT DRYING UNIT LOUIS ROGERS JOSEPH ETTI.

INVENTORS ATTORNEY Jan. 30, 1951 ROGERS ET AL MACHINE FOR MAKING STENCILS 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Sept. 10, 1947 LOUIS ROGERS JOSEPH ETTL INVENTORS BMW ATTORNEY Jan. 30, 1951 ROGERS ET AL MACHINE FOR MAKING STENCILS 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Sept. 10, 1947 v 9. mm

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LOUIS ROGER$ JOSEPH ETTL mvEN'roRs E N R o W A 'Jan. 30, 1951 L. ROGERS ETAL MACHINE FOR MAKING STENCILS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Sept. 10, 1947 o n- 5 mfima w 3. H a a. mu 3 mm on Qmv am ATTORNEY Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT, OFFICE MACHINE FOR MAKING STENCILS Louis Rogers and Joseph Ettl, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignors to Rogers Industries, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 10, 1947, Serial No. 773,242

2 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a machine for automatically making stencils in a single and continuous operation.

The. stencil is composed of a blank backing strip having a line of perforations and a stencil sheet which is suitably attached to the backing sheet by adhesive or the like adjacent to the line of perforations.

This invention is particularly directed to an automatic machine having mechanism which is of rotary character and which is very rapid in operation.

An object of this invention is to provide an elongated drying unit having a through passage for coated tissue paper and a plurality of air inlet passages and electric heating elements for the respective passages, and to provide a wire mesh screen above the heating elements to prevent direct contact of the tissue paper with the heating elements.

Another object of this invention is to provide a large capacity suction-blower to carry away the components of the coating liquid from the drying unit during the travel of the papers through the drying unit in order to prevent explosion and fire hazards.

Another object of this invention is to produce a machine for makinga plurality of rows of stencils simultaneously at a high speed, and without any manual operations from the start to the completion of the finished stencil, the stencil being dried during the passage of the papers through the machine.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and. arrangement of parts will be shown in the accompany ing drawings and pointed out in the claims which form part of this specification.

Reference will now'be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of the automatic stencil making machine.

Figure 2 is a central cross-sectional view of the coating unit and the dryin unit, the section being taken as on line 22 in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a central cross-sectional view of the combining unit, the section being taken as on-line 3-3 in Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a central cross-sectional view of the cutoff and punch unit, the section being taken as on line 44 in Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the automatic stencil making machine.

Figure 6 Ba schematic view of the stencil papers showing the steps in the method employed in the manufacture of the stencils.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the numeral I 0 indicates a machine for automatically making a two-member paper stencil in a single and continuous operation, comprising a coating unit ll having a receptacle It in which is a suitable coating liquid [3.

The coating unit H has a tension roller [4 rotatably mounted at its outer face. A coating roller [5 is rotatably mounted in the receptacle 12 with the lower portion of the roller immersed in the coating liquid I3. A tissue paper supply roll I6 is rotatably supported on a shaft I! in bearings is mounted on a bracket [9 in front of the coating unit II.

A scraper 20 contactingthe roller 15 serves to regulate the thickness of coating. The scraper 20 is mounted in the receptacle I2 preferably above the center line of the coating roller and above the level of the coating liquid.

A coating smoothing bar 2! of square crosssection is mounted in the receptacle [2 in horizontal alinement with the top of the coating roller l5 and with one of its edges in direct contact with the coated surface of the tissue paper.

A belt 22 connected to an electric motor 23 drives a pulley 24 and the coating roller l5 in a direction opposite to the direction of motion of the tissue paper It.

A drying unit 25 is positioned in alinement with the coating unit II at the discharge end of the coating unit. The drying unit 25 consists of an elongated and suitably insulated chamber 26 comprising a front wall 21 having a narrow opening 28 and a rear wall 29, having a narrow opening .30. The openings 28 and 30 permit the coated tissue paper It to pass therethrough whilebeing dried in the chamber 26.

At the rear wall 29 of the drying unit 25 is a rotatably mounted roller 3|, the lower edge of which contacts the upper face of the coated tissue paper l6. At the bottom of the drying chamber 26 are a plurality of transverse strips 32 spaced apart to form openings 33 through which air may enter into the drying chamber. Suitable baffle housings 34 guide the incoming air past elongated heating elements 35 running transversely of the chamber 26. Roller 3| is mounted on shaft 39.

Spaced above the heating elements 35 is a horizontal protective screen 36 which prevents the tissue paper It from contacting the heating elements in case of a break in the tissue paper while the machine is in operation.

Positioned in suitably spaced relation above .A suction exhaust fan Ml is mounted on the upper surface of the drying chamber 26 and communicates with the interior of the chamber to exhaust the air therefrom.

Rearwardly of the drying unit and in alinement with the coating unit and with the drying unit is a combining unit (Figure 3) having brackets 46 at its front face 41 which serve to rotatably support a backing paper supply roll 48. The roll of backing paper is positioned at a level below the guide tension roller 3I in the drying unit 25.

Fixedly mounted in an upright position inside the combining unit 45 is an elongated decurling bar 49. In the combining unit 45 above the bar 49, are two serrated perforating disk knives 56 which are rotatably mounted on a shaft 5| and are spaced apart from each other to produce two parallel rows of perforations 4i lengthwise of the backing sheet 48, that is, a row at each lengthwise side edge of the sheet 48'.

The shaft 5I is rotatably mounted in slideblocks 52 which are movable in slots 53 in the side walls 54 of the combining unit 45. Plates 55 are secured to the walls 54 in covering relation with the slots 53. Bolts 56 threaded in the plates 55 and contacting the slide blocks 52 serve for moving the shaft 5! and the perforating disk knives 55 against a feed roller 51. The roller 5! is mounted on a shaft 58. The bolt 56 and the slide block mounting of the shaft 5i provides rreans whereby pressure may be applied to paper 48' passing between the perforating disk knives and the roller 51.

Rotatably mounted in spaced relation from the feed roller 51 is an upper feed roller 59 mounted on a shaft 60, and a lower feed roller 6| mounted on a shaft 62.

- Mounted rearwardly of the three feed rollers 51, 59 and GI are two strip gluing units 65 which are spaced apart crosswise and serve for applying narrow strips of adhesive along the two lengthwise side edges of the backing sheet 48' outside of, adjacent and parallel to the perforations 4| in the backing sheet.

Each strip gluing unit 65 comprises a receptacle 66 which is pivotally mounted on a rod 61,

and a narrow roller 68 mounted centrally of the receptacle 65. The roller passes through a close fitting slot in the inclined rear wall of the receptacle and rests on a support roller 5'1 which is mounted on a shaft 69. A portion of the roller 68 is immersed in glue in the receptacle 66.

Rotatably mounted in the combining unit 45, at the rear of the strip gluing units 65 is a thumb notch die cutting roller I I. The roller II is made of a size such that one-half of its circumference is equal to the width of a stencil.

Suitably fixed diametrically opposite, in the roller II, are two hollow punches I2 of circular cross-section. The roller I I is mounted in spacedapart relation from the roller 51 so that the punches only will contact the roller 51 Each hollow punch I2 has a sharp circular cutting edge which presses against the solid roller 51 The roller 51 is freely rotatably mounted on a rotating shaft I4. The roller II is mounted on a shaft I3.

Rotatably mounted at the rear of the thumb die cutting roller II is a pair of combining rollers I6, 11. The upper combining roller I6 is mount- I ed on a shaft 80. The shaft 80 is rotatably mounted in guide blocks 52 which are movable in slots 53 in the side walls 54 of the combining unit 45. Plates are secured to the walls '54 in covering relation with the slots 53. Bolts 56 th eaded in th p atesji 5 .'and;;;c6n 5 l n he slide blocks 52 serve for moving the shaft so as to bring the roller I6 in forced relation against the roller 11. The roller 11 is mounted on a shaft 8|. The bolt 56 and the slide block mounting of the shaft 80 provides means whereby pressure may be applied to the combined papers I6 and 48 passing between rollers I6 and 11.

A cutoff and punch unit is positioned rearwardly of and in alinement with the combining unit 45. The unit 85 comprises an upper slitting disk knife 86 which is rotatably mounted on a shaft 81. The shaft 81 is rotatably mounted in slide blocks 52 which are movable in slots 88 in the side walls 89 of the cutoff and punch unit 85.

Plates 55 are secured to the Walls 89 in covering relation with the slots 88. Bolts 56 threaded in the plates 55 and contacting the slide blocks 52 serve for moving the shaft 81 and the upper slitting disk knife 86 against a lower slitting knife 90, mounted on a shaft 9|.

The bolt 56 and the slide block mounting of the shaft 81 provides means whereby pressure may be applied to the combined papers I6 and 48 passing between the slitting disk knives 86 and 90. The slitting knives are rotatably mount-5 ed at the middle of the combined papers and form two continuous lengths of stencil material 95.

Mounted rearwardly of the slitting disk knives 86 and 90 is a feed roller 96 mounted on a shaft 91. The shaft 9i is rotatably mounted in slideblocks 52 which are movable in slots 53 in the side walls 89 of the cutoff and punch unit 85.

Plates 93 are secured to the walls 89 in covering relation with the slots 53. Bolts 56 threaded 96 and feed the combined papers.

A portion I03 of the outer surface of the roller I65 is cut away so that only a portion of the said surface will function to feed the combined papers. The roller I00 has slots I04 and bolts I05 for adjusting the roller I00 for timing its feeding action/ Rearwardly of the intermittent feed rollers 96 and I00 is a cutoff and punch press II 0 comprising a fixed bed III having bearings II2 which slidably support rods H3.

Secured to the upper ends of the rods H3 is a crosshead II 4 and a punch carrier II5 having a plurality of-'-punches IIB, each preferably having The" punches are a key-shaped cross-section. arranged in two-parallel rows and coact with receiving apertures II! in the bed III to punch cylinder engaging apertures H8 in the two rows of stencil material 95.

Secured to the rear portion of the crosshead II 4 is an upright cutoff blade II9. Secured to the bed III is a coacting cutoff blade I20. The blades H9 and I20 serve to cut off finished sten cils I25 from the two rows of duplicate stencil material 95.

The actuating means for imparting reciprocat- I ing motions to the crosshead I I4 and the punches II6 consists of two identical open face disk cams" I26 mounted on shafts I 21. Rollers I 28 at the lower ends of therods I I3 follow the outer surfaces i ihe em ima e eqw ardlr toth weight of the 'crosshead. Each cam I26 has a portion of its periphery I29 cut away to permit the punches I I6 to drop suddenly when the punching action takes place in the stencil paperand the blades II9, I28 cut off the stencils.

Gears I38 are mounted on the shafts I21 and. intermesh with a gear I3I which is driven by a pulley I 32 from a motor I33. The two gears I38 drive the two cams I26 in timed relation. The

punches II6 are timed to work during the inac-' tive period of the intermittent feed rollers 96 and I08.

The finished stencils I drop on an endless belt conveyor I 5 and are then carried to a receiving platform I36.

As best shown in Figure 5, thereis provided a.separating space I31 between the combining unit 45 and the cutoff and punch unit 85. This space permits the combined papers I6 and 48' which feed at a continuous rate of speed during the passage through the combining unit 45 to feed intermittently when passing through the cutoff and punch unit 85. This is possible due to the fact that the excess material accumulated during the non-feeding period occasioned during.

the punching operation can drop to a lower level and the loop increases in length during the nonfeeding period.

The wrinkle eliminating roller 63 is mounted on a shaft 64 and is located close to the upper combining roller to press out any wrinkles that may have been formed in the process of treating the tissue paper.

It is to be noted that a belt driven variable speed unit I46 shown in Figure 5, is driven from a pulley I41 on a cam gear shaft I21 and drives a pulley I48 on the lower combining roller shaft 8|.

The variable speed unit I46 comprises a constant speed shaft I49 and a variable speed shaft It is to be noted that the main drive gear 53! Operation of invention The tissue paper I6 from the supply roll I6 passes over the tension roller I4, then above the receptacle I2, and in contact with the coating roller I5, then through the openings 28, 38 in the front and rear walls 21, es of the drying unit 25, then through the drying unit while in contact with the roller 3I at the rear of the drying unit, then in contact with a guide roller 15 mounted on a shaft 18 on top of the combining unit 45, then over a wrinkle eliminating roller 63 mounted on a shaft 64, and then between the two combining rollers 16, 11.

Simultaneously with the passage of the tissue paper I6, as above described, the backing paper 48' from the supply roll 48 passes below the tissue paper I6, over the decurling bar 49, around the guide roller GI, then between two perforating rollers 59 and the coacting roller 51, then between the paper feed knives 51 and 59, above the support roller 51 and beneath the strip gluing roller .68, then between the support roller 51 and iii the thumb notch punch roller ',1 I- to punch thumb 76 notches 99 lengthwise and at the middle of the backing paper, and then between the two combining rollers 16, 11. The combining rollers 16, 11 adhesively combine the two papers I6 and 48' along the glued narrow edge portions 42 of the backing sheet 48.

The adhesively combined papers then pass through the slitting disk knives 86 and 90 in the cutoff and punch unit 85, shown in Figure 4, where the material is slit longitudinally intermediate the two lengthwise side edges of the tissue paper and through the backin paper to form two continuous lengths of duplicate stencil material 95.

The two rows of duplicate stencil material 95 then pass through intermittent feed rollers 96 and I08. which feed the stencil papers intermittently through the combined cutoff and punch press I I6 Where the materia1 is punched to form cylinder engaging apertures I I8 onletter duplicating machines, and where the material is cut to pre-determined stencil length in one operation.

Driving mechanism The shaft 13 (Figure 3) has the roller H and a sprocket gear I5I fixed thereto. The shaft I52 (Figure 4) intermediate the cams I30 has a sprocket gear I53 fixed thereto. gear I5I is twice the diameter of the sprocket gear I53. A sprocket chain I54 in engagement with the sprocket gears I5I and I53 transmits motion from the shaft I52 to the shaft 13 at a reduced speed to permit a large diameter punch roller 1! containing two punches 12' to punch two stenci s in a period of one revolution of the roller 1!, the circumference of the roller 1I being twice the width of a stencil.

It is to be noted that a v-belt E59 connected to a pulley I60 on the variable speed shaft I56 drives the pu ley I48 on the shaft 8I of the lower combining roller.

A sprocket gear I6I on the shaft 8| drives a sprocket gear I62 on the shaft 69 by means of a sprocket chain I 63. A further sprocket gear I64 mounted on the shaft 69 drives a sprocket gear I65 onthe sha t- 58by means of a sprocket chain I66. A gear I61 on the shaft 68' is driven by the gear I62. A gear I68 on the shaft 8| drives a gear I69 on the shaft 89. A belt I18 (Figure 4) suitably connects a shaft I1I on the conveyor I35 with the cam shaft I21 for driving the con eyor.

In accordance with the patent statutes we have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment of our invention, but it will be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a machine for automatically making in a continuous operation two rows of two-layer paper stencils respectively glued together solely along a narrow crosswise strip, comprising means for mounting a roll of coated tissue paper, a roll of rotatably mounted backing paper having a width greater than said tissue paper and positioned below saidtissue paper, means for punching two parallel rows of perforations lengthwise and adjacent both side edges of said backing paper, means for applying glue in the form of two narrow strips on said backing paper adiacent the perforations, means for punching thumb notches lengthwise and at the middle of said backing paper, acombining unit having pressure feed The sprocket rollers for continuously feeding said papers in superposed relation to adhesively combine both' edge portions of said papers adjacent said perforations, means for slitting said combined ma terial longitudinally and through said thumb notches to form two continuous lengths of equal width two-layer stencil material, means for intermittently feeding said combined papers into a punch and cutoff press for punching key-shaped cylinder engaging apertures in exposed side portions of said backing sheet, said cutoff and punch press and said combining unit being spaced apart from each other to provide space where said combined papers form a variable loop to permit said cutoff and punch press to operate intermittently While said combining unit operates continuously, and means for cutting said rows of combined stencil materials to form two rows of two-layer stencils of predetermined length.

2. In a machine for automatically making in a continuous operation two rows of two-layer paper stencils respectively glued together solely along a narrow crosswise strip, comprising means for mounting a roll of tissue paper, a roll of rotatably mounted backing paper having a width greater than said tissue paper, means for punching two parallel rows of perforations lengthwise and adjacent both side edges of said backing paper, means for applying glue in the form of two narrow strips on said backing paper adjacent the perforations, means for punching thumb notches lengthwise and at the middle of said backing paper, a combining unit having pressure feed rollers for continuously feeding said papers in superposed relation to adhesively combine both edge portions of said papers adjacent said perforations, means for slitting said combined material longitudinally and through said thumb notches to form two continuous lengths of equal width two-layer stencil material, means for intermit-.

LOUIS ROGERS. JOSEPH ETTL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,121,080 Elliott Dec. 15, 1914 1,445,388 Case Feb. 13, 1923 1,773,151 Nixon Aug. 19, 1930 1,788,441 Samuelson 1 Jan. 13, 1931 1,872,130 Elliott Aug. 16, 1932 2,201,953 Dalton May 21, 1940 2,372,008 Krueger Mar. 20, 1945 2,444,685 Waters July 6, 1948 2,450,847 Wilson Oct. 5, 1948 

